Cloud Defensive Chicro (Product Page, Affiliate Link)

The light itself is a not bad. Its not great either. It can’t tailstand. My particular review sample can’t use the onboard USB-C charging. It has a tint more suited for a dance floor than a backup flashlight. The low at 35 lumens is both too bright and woefully out of step with the current EDC trends (the BOSS 35 comes set to 1 lumen). And it is a bit chintzy with a cheap rubber flat over the charging port and a thin friction fit clip. I get that the Chicro is an EDC light made by a tactical light company, but even giving them that benefit of the doubt this could have been better. But its pretty bright, has a good output and UI, and it is on-board USB-C charging (which is better when it works), which is currently rare in the EDC torch market. So it is a mixed bag as a light.

But then there is the packaging and branding. They claim they are making fun of themselves, but they do so through the use of imagery and words that seems like it is poking fun of others. All of this strikes me as somewhat offensive. I get it—they wanted to make clear that this was not a US made product like the rest of their line up, but Cloud Defensive kinda took it overboard a bit, at least for me. The light arrives in a simulacrum of a Chinese takeout box. There is even a fortune cooke inside. And then there is the name—Chinese Micro becomes Chicro. This is all a bit much for me. In the end, I don’t think its worth dinging the light, but it would make me less likely to recommend the light. I think it is a joke that is both not funny and more offensive than it needs to.

I am not swearing off Cloud Defensive’s stuff at all. I’d buy a light from them right now if they made one that could tailstand and had a true moonlight low. But they don’t largely because they are not in the EDC market. Still, this is a ding on a product that could have been better in many ways.

Overall Score: 14 out of 20 (2 off for Fit and Finish, 1 off for Carry, 1 off for Beam Quality, 2 off for Hands Free)

Kershaw Mini Skyline (Product Page)

I loved the Skyline. It seems a bit long in the tooth now, but it is still a good knife. But it was unnecessarily large. As a sub-3” knife it would have been great. Apparently KnifeCenter thought the same and ordered and exclusive Mini Skyline from Kershaw. This knife is a better size than the original, but it is not a better knife. For reasons unclear, the steel was downgraded from 14C28N, which is my favorite non-PM steel, to D2, which is not my favorite any kind of steel. Additionally, the purpose built and fun clip was replaced with a COTS clip from the Kershaw Bank’o’Clip designs. These two things are clear negatives. The last major change other than size was the use of bearings in the pivot. They work well, but so did the original washer-based design. As a smaller knife the index notch dominates the handle, but not necessarily in a bad way. For $50 this is a decent knife, but not a great value in a market flooded with Chinese knives sporting 14C28N or Nitro-V at the same price. Its thin and slicey and easy to deploy, sure. The problem is when the original has better steel and more unique elements, the Mini comes across as an afterthought instead of a knife of its own.

Overall Score: 17 out of 20 (1 off for Grip and 2 off for Steel)

ESEE 4HM (Product Page, Affiliate Link)

ESEE has been kicking around for a long time and they have been making some really stellar, hard use fixed blades. They are step up in quality (and price) from the Condors and Moras of the world, but for a long time their slabby handle design has kept me from trying one given how great the BK16 is. They introduced the HM models with broom handle styled handles a few years ago and I have been waiting to get one because of sheath issues. For a while they came with dreadful, floppy nylon sheathes. Just as I got the confidence to make my own kydex sheath they dropped some 4HMs with kydex sheathes.

The result is a knife that is worlds better than the standard ESEE, but still, unfortunately, not quite as good as the BK16 in the hand. It does feel higher end, opting for micarta instead of FRN, but the overall feel is just a smidge behind the BK16 King. Aside from that, this is stellar knife and a great choice for a beat-into-the-ground fixed blade.

Overall Score: 19 out of 20 (1 off for Handle Design)

Olitans T017

Every once in a while there is some weird quirk of capitalism that results in a very good product coming out unexpectedly. The Ford Maverick, a truck I think is quite nice, has sold out for a year largely because it is much better than it deserved to be given the price. So too with the long out of production San Ren Mu 605. That was a snappy, sweet little knife. But its been gone for a decade or so. The Olitans T017 is the spiritual successor to that knife and if you can overlook the not super great fit and finish or sure lock up you will be rewarded with a tiny (REALLY tiny), excellent little knife that can be stowed anywhere and seems to sport real M390. All of this for $30. Yipee.

Overall Score: 15 out of 20 (2 off for Fit and Finish, 2 off for Grip, 1 off for Lock)

Acebeam E70 Mini (Product Page, Affiliate Link)

Um…what is this? Jay Leno likes to characterize some of the more, well, aggro super and hyper cars as “atomic bugs” due to their angles, and slits, and vents. They lack the clean lines and elegant swoops of something like a Muira or the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO. This light is the atomic bug of flashlights. I don’t even understand what all of this machining does or why it is there other than to make the light look complex. The light is also pretty long for the battery format. We are years from the release of the FW3A and yet some companies still make 18650s bigger than that light. I have no idea why. I am also puzzled by any light that requires two button presses to activate. Why on earth would you ever do that? I don’t want to hear the “its tactical” reason. That has been the justification for so much bad design over the years and literally less than one percent of people use their lights like that. I don’t have a parachute in my car “just in case” and I don’t think the “its tactical” justification can be used to explain away as much as it does.

Overall Score: 14 out of 20 (2 off for Design, 2 off for Carry, 2 off for UI)

CJRB Soria (Product Page, Affiliate Link)

This is a gorgeous knife to look at, especially for the price. The clip is a blind clip. The handle is sculpted and a pleasing shape for both the eye and the hand. The blade is a classic drop point blade with a wonderful full forward choil. The steel is ARPM-9, which is a very decent steel. I am not a fan of coatings, but you can get the Soria without a coating. The review sample, provided by CJRB, came with a coating. Overall this is a very good knife for the price. I have only two points of concern, one that is a preference, the other of which is a problem. The knife is quite large. Compared to the similarly sized PM2, this knife just seems gigantic. Not an issue for everyone, but be aware, this does not feel or carry like a small knife. Second, the detent here is not good. I like hard detents. This is not close. It is so far away from being good that my dislike of the detent is not mere preference. The knife sometimes doesn’t full deploy because even a small bump opens the blade. Only the long ago reviewed Surefire flipper has had a worse detent. I’d love to see a mini Soria with a snappier detent, BTW. This knife has great bones.

Overall Score: 18 out of 20 (2 off for Deployment)

Petrified Fish Beluga (Product Page, Affiliate Link)

Remember how I mentioned that the Chinese are making $50 knives that sport 14C28N? This is that knife. this is the first Petrified Fish I have owned and I can say that the knife is exceedingly well made, easily the peer of a Civivi or a CJRB. I don’t like the “all belly” blade here, but it that is a small negative. The bigger issue I have is with the deployment. Unless you hit this front flipper just right, the knife sits there like a sleeping dog. There is more than the average about of finger yoga needed to get the flipping action just right. The rest of the knife, including the steel and the price, are good. I like the clip design. I like the finish on the handles and the blade. I just wish it deployed better and had a less curvy blade.

Overall Score: 16 out of 20 (2 off Blade Shape, 2 off Deployment)

Amazon Links

KaBar BK16

Spyderco Paramilitary 2